IF EVERYTHING goes to plan, as the ACT slept this morning, a stream of signals from a NASA spacecraft would reach the ''tweeps'' at the Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex.
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The tweeps say that about an hour after NASA launches its latest mission to Mars, the Twittersphere would be able to track the spacecraft's progress through a ''tweetup'' arranged by the CSIRO.
About 50 of the organisation's followers were granted exclusive access to the tracking station at Tidbinbilla for the spacecraft launch and the chance to talk to scientists involved in the mission to Mars.
CSIRO education and outreach manager Glen Nagle said while the event was a first for the tracking station, NASA regularly holds similar events in the US.
''NASA has run tweetups since 2009 but this is the first such NASA-related activity in Australia,'' he said.
''Tweeps'' taking part include teachers, engineers, photographers, scientists and writers from across Australia and as far afield as Portland, Oregon, and San Diego in the US.
The Mars Science Laboratory machine - called ''Curiosity'' by the scientists - is the largest and most complex piece of equipment to land on Earth's nearest neighbour, incorporating a 900kg robot featuring its own nuclear power pack to search the planet's surface for signs of life or previous inhabitation. Tracking station operations manager Len Ricardo said the Canberra station was a key part of the team providing the NASA mission's lifeline to Earth.
''Once the spacecraft launches from Cape Canaveral we'll see it about 50 minutes later as it comes round from the west,'' he said.
''If the current rovers are anything to go by, we'll end up speaking to this robot for decades and it'll be travelling halfway around the planet.
''That would be a great thing.''
The launch window was scheduled for 2.02am this morning.